Searching DUQSearch
Tip 1
When searching DUQSearch, the Gumberg Library online catalog, always use the Advanced Search
Clicking the Advanced link will take you to a search interface that will give you multiple search boxes enabling you to do more complex searches, plus many limits that you can use to get a more specific search result.
Tip 2
Searching DUQSearch will bring up a mixture of printed books, ebooks, magazine (periodical) and scholarly journal articles from selected databases, DVDs, CDs, etc..Look for the icons beneath the citations, some examples of which you see below.
DUQSearch is an appropriate tool to use if you are looking for just a few books and articles.
Tip 3
To exclude articles and find only books (print and ebooks), limit your DUQSearch search to "All Gumberg Specialized Catalogs." You can do this on the Advanced Search interface before you run your search (look for this limit on the lower right)...
Or you can do this after you run a search (look for this limit on the left)...
Tip 4 (Really Important!)
After running a search, remove the "Search Full Text" limit to find more citations. DUQSearch is set by default to only find articles that are available in full text. However, this excludes citations to articles that you may be able to quickly get through Interlibrary Loan.
Let me repeat, do not settle for a search limited by "Search Full Text". Remove the "Search Full Text" limit. Just because you can get the full text of an article, does not mean the article is from a higher or highest quality journal. Very often, the full text that is available can be from a lower quality journal. By not removing the "Search Full Text limit," you could be limiting yourself to lesser quality, Open Access (free) journal content.
Some Open Access (free) journals are peer-reviewed and of good quality, but not all are, and by not removing the "Search Full Text" limit you will possibly be connected to content from lower quality journals, rather than better journals, the sort your professor would prefer you to use.
When Not to Use DUQSearch
Tip 5
If you need to do in-depth research for a longer project or paper, use DUQSearch only to find the print and ebooks that are relevant (see Tip 3 above). Then use subject-specific databases for your topic.
To find them, click the Research button on the Gumberg Library homepage.
On the next screen, Click the "Databases A to Z" button.
Then pull down the Filter by Subject menu and choose the subject area you are working in (English Literature, History, Philosophy and Religion, etc.).
Pay close attention especially to the Best Bets databases singled out in the box at the top of the list of databases for a particular subject area. These are usually the most important databases to use when searching for information in a subject area, the ones you absolutely must use.
Tip 6
To learn how to find full text of articles found in DUQSearch or in individual databases, see this research guide: "Finding Full Text."
If full text is not available from a Gumberg database, click here to find out how to get an article from Interlibrary Loan.
